The Effects of Technology on
Society - It Isn't the Root of Evil

The effects of technology on society are positive as long as the technological advances are made within certain natural laws. Deep Ecology does not necessarily advocate a reduction in technology as some others believe. 

Indigenous cultures are looked to not because of their simplicity but because they live within the natural laws of this planet. Technology isn't the issue. A culture could live within the laws in a simple fashion or in a technogically advanced fashion - as long as it is within the laws. However for us the effects of technology on society and on the planet are mostly negative because we make our technological advances outside of the natural laws.

Whenever you suggest that indigenous cultures lived in a way that wasn’t harmful for the planet you are likely to get this sort of response:

“Only because they didn’t have the technology to be as destructive as us. If they had industrialisation then the effects of technology on society and on the planet would be the same for them as it is for us. They would have assuredly been as destructive as we are.”

Mother culture teaches us that human beings are inherently destructive. Give us the means to destroy the world and we will. Therefore most people make the mistake of thinking that the only difference between us and “primitive” cultures is technology. If they were enlightened with our science they would be like us.

However across the entire world indigenous cultures have very rarely left behind their lifestyle willingly. They have been coerced into it either forcefully or indirectly.

Different, Not Inferior

They live in a way that is completely different to us. It isn’t our technology that deters them – they willingly adopt civilized technology if it helps them – it is our worldview, our mentality that is abhorrent to them. And it is our worldview that is destroying the world, not our technology.

Indigenous cultures are always making technological advances. And the effects of technology on society are positive for them. To us it seems painstakingly slow but they have never been in a great hurry. Why would they be? They aren’t repulsed by the idea of living in the wild, of living in the hands of the gods.

All indigenous technological advances are made within the law of limited competition. This law governs the relationships between species. Technology that is utilized within the law does not wreak havoc on the environment. Our civilization exists outside the law of limited competition. As a result our technology wreaks havoc on the environment and on ourselves.

Indigenous cultures aren't great or noble, but they know how to live within the law. They aren’t perfect and they aren’t saints. But nor are they trying really hard to be environmentally friendly, repressing their inner urge to destroy. They just abide by the law and are automatically able to live in balance with their environment. This isn’t a noble sacrifice; it just doesn’t occur to them to try and live outside the law.

Ours is the only culture we know of that has ever attempted to live outside the law. And our culture is now on the verge of eliminating itself.

Is Industrial Technology Sustainable?

There are some thinkers who say that civilization and industrial technology are inherently unsustainable and there is no chance of making them work in the long run.

This may be true, but at the same time perhaps not. Mankind has never attempted to operate a civilization or industrial technology within natural laws but that does not necessarily mean it is impossible. 

Industrial society might be possible if it exists within natural laws.

Indigenous societies did not and do not all exist with exactly the same level of development and technology. 

Some are pure hunters and gatherers, others like the Maori of New Zealand were agriculturalists and lived in large fortified settlements. 

Perhaps if the Maori hadn't been absorbed by colonialism they would have eventually progressed further and developed a settled society with advanced technology. Unfortunately we will never know.

The early airmen who tried to fly in pedal powered or wing flapping contraptions were doomed to failure. They did not operate their craft within the laws of aerodynamics and thus were inherently unflyable. Observers would have said, "Flight is impossible for mankind." But we all know that somebody who understood the laws of gravity and aerodynamics was able to create a craft that worked.

Our technological society is like an early flying machine. It is doomed to crash because it doesn't recognise natural evolutionary laws. But maybe it is possible to design a craft that works. 

But then again maybe it is not possible. Perhaps it is inevitable that when our civilization implodes we will have no choice but to melt back into the bush.

However we can try, we can experiment and we can explore whether we can create a technological society that works. We just need to understand natural laws and get back within their boundaries. If we can do that then the negative effects of technology will disappear; then the effects of technology on society and on the planet will be positive.


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